Nation/world news briefs

Left: Police officers sounded taps at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in New York during Monday’s funeral for Dennis Guerra. The police officer and father of four died last week after responding to a fire in a high-rise building.

A military judge abruptly recessed the first 9/11 trial hearing of the year Monday after defense lawyers accused the FBI in open court of trying to turn a defense team security officer into a secret informant. If true, the lawyers argued, attorney-client confidentiality may have been breached in the case that seeks to put on trial and execute five men accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed 3,000 people. Defense lawyers alleged that in at least one instance, two FBI agents enlisted a civilian on the defense team of accused plot deputy Ramzi Binalshibh as a confidential informant. The FBI had no immediate comment.

Israel

Gunman kills Israeli in West Bank

An Israeli police officer was fatally shot and his wife and young son were wounded as they drove to a Passover Seder near the West Bank city of Hebron, according to a spokeswoman for the Israeli military. Israeli troops combed several nearby Palestinian villages in search of the gunman or gunmen and imposed a curfew and checkpoints, but they had not made any arrests by midnight. It was the first killing of an Israeli civilian in the West Bank since October, the army spokeswoman said, and it came as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have been trying to salvage peace talks that have been teetering on the brink of collapse for two weeks.

Florida

Supply run delayed to Space Station

A space station cargo ship will remain earthbound for a while longer because of a rocket leak. With just over an hour remaining, the SpaceX company called off Monday’s planned launch. Officials said they believe the problem can be fixed by Friday, the next opportunity for flying and the last chance before astronauts do urgent spacewalking repairs. A helium leak in the first stage of the unmanned Falcon rocket forced a halt to the countdown, the latest delay spanning the past month.

Tennessee

Groups call for veto of pregnancy-drug bill

Women’s rights and medical groups have called on Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee to veto legislation to allow criminal assault charges to be filed against women who use illegal drugs during pregnancy. Critics say the measure will harm babies because pregnant women will be afraid to seek medical care. At a time of rising concern about narcotics addiction, the bill was passed last week by bipartisan majorities in both houses of the Tennessee legislature. It received crucial support from the district attorney in Memphis who said the threat of jail was needed as a “velvet hammer” to force mothers into court-supervised drug treatment.

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Right: Jewish men burned leavened items Monday in final preparation for the Passover holiday in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foodstuffs during the holiday.